


Baby Stars

by The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade



Series: Her Light, His Peace [1]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Childhood, Fluffy, Gen, KJ as a 7 year old, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 03:22:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18112247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade/pseuds/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade
Summary: An adorable one shot featuring 7 year old Captain Janeway, an insubordinate Ensign Phoebe, a surprise visitor, and misused wineglasses





	Baby Stars

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE thanks as always to sara_sedai for her wonderful beta skills

_Age 7_

* * *

 

Katie Janeway’s shriek of glee resounded down the stairs behind the loud, clumsy footfalls of her baby sister thundering ahead of her. “Ensign!” she called as Phoebe leapt the last four steps. “Slow down!”

“But we’re going Warp 6!” Phoebe giggled, raising their starship higher over her head. One of the nacelles, a wineglass they’d filched out of the dish-cleaner and painted blue, wobbled precariously where the stem was taped to the frisbee. She felt a stab of worry – they’d get in trouble. “All stop!”

“Awww!”

“What’s wrong, Captain?” Mark asked, raising Lt. Floater above his head and waving the small figure’s blue arm.

“We need to do repairs!” She announced, waving her captain doll as she talked. The shining black curls bounced along with her poofy, many-layered, pink ball gown. Captains had to look the prettiest. Or prettier than Lt. Floater’s and Ensign Phoebe’s at any rate. “Ensign, hold her steady.”

“But it wants to moooove,” Phoebe complained as she and Mark crowded close. She grabbed the loose wine glass and told Mark to go get the tape from her room because  he run faster than she could. He returned a moment later with a long stretch of tape stuck to his fingers.

“Ship repairs complete, Captain!” Mark said dutifully as he finished winding the loose end around the frisbee and wine glasses.

She nudged the glass just to be sure. “Okay!” she said. “Ensign Phoebe – ree-eesume course. Heading… 123-point-45.”

“Okay!” Phoebe said, spinning on one foot and making a “whoooosh” sound as she ran towards the kitchen. Katie frowned. Space ships did _not_ whoosh. But she was meant to be nice to Phoebe, and what did she know? She couldn’t even read.

Speaking of which...“Phoebe, that’s the wrong way!” She charged after her silly sister, tugging her arm in the direction of their nebula.

“But I want cookies!”

“Are you the Captain?”

“Noooo.”

“Exactly.” She pushed Phoebe back towards the right direction,

Mark was standing by her Daddy’s office already, holding the door open. He’d put Lt. Floater’s hands over the doll’s face so it was laughing just like he was.

She skipped ahead of Phoebe. “Come on!” she called.

Phoebe barged forwards, woooshing again as she waved the _USS Hestia_ over her head.

“Drop to impulse!” Katie ordered her sister as she nearly ran their ship into Daddy’s desk chair.

“ _Whaaat?”_ Phoebe called.

“Slow down,” Mark laughed.

“Yes, now… Ensign Phoebe – do you see the nebula?”

“Yep!” Phoebe said, standing on her toes to see over the desk top. She pointed at the model of the nebula sitting on top of the desk. “We’re here!”

“Okay – put my ship in or-bit.”

“Yay!” the wine glasses clinked on polished wooden desk as Phoebe put the ship down.

“Phoebeee!” Katie whined. “You said you knew how to play.”

“I do.”

“You have to orbit,” Mark said beside her. “It means you fly around the de-er-nebula so we can investigate.”

“But I wanna investigate.”

“Nu-uh.” Katie shook her head, her red pigtails flying across her face. “The Ensign flies the ship,” she said. “The Captain and Lieut-en-ant Floater do the investigating.”

Phoebe pouted. “Fine,” and began to march around the desk with the ship.

“Good.” Katie turned to her Lieutenant. “Is the shuttle ready, Floater?”

“Aye-aye, Captain!” Mark waved the shiny model shuttle she’d gotten for her birthday out in front of him, and she carefully tucked her captain’s doll into the single seat, stuffing the layers of the dress in and closing the roof. “Okay, Lieutenant. Scanner ready?”

Mark held up a flashlight. “Yes!”

“Then let’s go – Phoebe, watch my ship.”

“Can I see the nebula?” she asked as she weaved around the two of them to make another lap of the desk.

“You can see it – keep orbiting.” She held the desk chair for Mark so he could climb up to the desk top – he was shorter – and then climbed up herself. She watched Phoebe for another lap – so far she was going in circles like she was supposed to. Then she picked up the toy shuttle and scooched closer to the model of the nebula. Mark got close on the other side and clicked the flashlight on.

“Computer!” She giggled. “Turn the lights off.”

_“Parental voice confirmation required.”_

She made sure Phoebe was looking and repeated what Daddy had said when he’d been sick and lost his voice last time he’d been home. “Con-fir-mation override: Mike-Alpha-Yan-key -two-zero-Yan-key-thirty-three.”

The lights went out. Phoebe gasped. “How’d you do that?”

“I’m the Captain!” she told her and trained her eyes on Mark. He waved the flashlight, grinning as he shined it on the model nebula.

The bright light refracted through the small replica causing the whorls and specs of pink and red and purple dust preserved in the glass globe to shimmer and dance across the ceiling and the walls and the floor. Mesmerized, Phoebe, with her eyes were wide,  had stopped circling the desk and started spinning her starship in place while she looked all over the room.

“Do you see the baby stars?” Phoebe asked.

“Uh-huh!” Mark said, pointing Floater’s hand at the model. “Five-twenty-a-hundred-and-thousand.”

“How many is that?” Phoebe asked.

“A lot,” Katie told her sister. “Let’s see… Scanning the nebula.” She moved the shuttle over the top. “Yes… Yes. We have… hy-dro-gen,…” she pronounced carefully, “he-li-um, and that purple tail iiiiiisss ox-y-gen.”

“What about this part?” Mark asked, pointing to a yellow swirl that was tucked in the middle.

She grinned. “Carbon annnnnd a new element!” she said. “Floater-ium.”

She was about to ask Mark to tell her the nebula’s size when she heard Phoebe giggle. She and Mark looked over and saw her baby sister, lit up with the pink and purple reflection from the nebula, spinning and weaving and bumping into the wall. “ _PHOEBE!_ ”

“Caaaptain – weee. We’re losing control.”

“No - Phoebe, you’re not playing right.”

“The wind is too strooooong.”

“Phoebe!” She hopped off the desk and Mark followed her with the flashlight as she chased Phoebe around the office. “There’s no wind in space!”

“Can’t hear you!” She said. “I lost my commu-cador – whooosh.”

That was it. Starships did not go woosh. “Phoebe come back,” Katie said as Phoebe squealed and ran behind the desk. Katie gave chase. “I’m gonna –”

“Computer, lights to 80%.”

She froze with her free hand halfway to catching Phoebe and spun around. He was _home._ “Daddy!”

He was supposed to be 7 light years away on the real _USS_ _Hestia_. But here he was still in his Captain’s uniform leaning against the door frame. She dropped the shuttle and ran halfway across the office and stopped short -- they weren’t supposed to play in his office…

 

Phoebe had no such hesitance. She barreled past Katie and ran into their Daddy’s legs.

He had his serious face on. They were in his office. Without permission. Mom had said _not_ to go in his office, but she’d left Mark’s older sister watching them, and she hadn’t known that.

Daddy broke his stern expression while he bent down and lifted Phoebe up, balancing her on one arm and raising his red eyebrows. “Having fun in the dark were you?”

“Katie turned them off.”

“Phoebeee!” she said, still frozen in place.

Her father turned towards her with his stern expression again. “Is that true?”

“Y-yes,” she said nervously. She looked over at Mark.

He was standing stock still next to her, clutching Floater. “We were on a mission!” He blurted.

“I saw – at ease, Lieutenant. You’re not in trouble.”

“Um - okay, Mr. Captain Janeway, Sir”

Her father chuckled. He didn’t _seem_ mad. She nudged the carpet with her foot. When he looked back at her he put his stern face on again. “And who was the Captain of the mission?”

She gulped and stepped forwards. “Me, Sir.”

He bent down, still holding Phoebe who was now clinging to his neck. _Traitor_.

“Well then… Captain Janeway,” he said, keeping his face stern. “Was the mission a success?”

“Yes, sir.”

“No trouble?”

“Nooo.”

“ _Really?_ No Romulans?”

“No.”

“Not even…” and his face broke into a tiny smirk as he reached up and tickled Phoebe. “Insubordinate Ensigns?”

She giggled. “Just one.”

“Did you have fun?”

She mirrored his emerging smile with a gap-toothed one of her own. She wasn’t in trouble! “Aye, Captain!”

“Well then – I expect a full report at dinner.” He stood up. “Oh no!” he said, putting a hand over his communicator.

“What?” all three of them asked.

“You had to abandon ship!”

She turned around. The shuttle with her doll and the frisbee with the wine-glass nacelles were both lying on the carpet. “That doesn’t count!” she said.

“I can get it!” Mark said, racing off and grabbing both.

“Excellent idea – Goldenbird, you’re the Captain, give us a new heading.”

She beamed at him and pointed out the door. “Heading… 56.123! We need supplies.”

“As the Captain’s advisor, can I suggest the cookies.”

“Yes! Lt. Floater – Warp 5!”

“Aye Captain!”

* * *

Katie gave a full mission report for Mommy and Daddy at dinner that night, with frequent interruptions from Phoebe. “The Ensign’s thoughts are _also_ important,” her Daddy told her, which meant she had to let Phoebe keep going.

They had her Mom shaking her head by the end. “You three, and _you_ didn’t tell them to put my wine glasses back, Edward?”

“Wine glasses,” her Daddy asked. “Oh, I don’t know – I thought they made very good nacelles.”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Then you can get the dried paint off,” she told him.

“Oh is that how we’re going to celebrate?” he asked.

Her ears perked up as her mother frowned. “Celebrate..?”

He grinned. “I asked for time off so I could tell you all in person.” He said, and leaned back in his chair, stretching. “When the _Hestia_ returns next month, I’ll be taking a new assignment.”

“To a family ship?!” Gretchen beamed.

“We’re going to space with you?” she asked, jumping up in her seat and bouncing in excitement.

But her father was laughing. “No, actually… I’m being assigned to Office Suite 52 at HQ in San Francisco,” he said.

Her mother raised her eyebrows. “You mean…”

“I am no longer the _Captain_ of your heart,” he grinned. “You’ll have to settle for _Rear-Admiral._ ”

“ _Edward_!” Her mom gasped, covering her mouth with one hand as a big smile spread across her face.

“You’re gonna stay on Earth?” Kathryn asked.

“Well, I’ll probably be out at Utopia Planetia a few days a week, but yes I will, Goldenbird.”

“Oh Edward that’s amazing.” Her mom clasped his hand. “You’re happy?”

“I am,” he assured her. “Space will be there waiting.”

“I’m surprised actually,” she said. “Does the Fleet Admiral know she’s losing her best Captain to a desk job?”

Her Daddy laughed and he reached his arm out and clapped her little shoulder. “Well, she can’t take it back. And besides, I’m sure there’ll be a new Captain Janeway before long.”

She bounced up and down at his praise.

“But,” he said, and his blue eyes fell on the doll that was sitting next to her. “She’ll have to wear a proper uniform.”

She wrinkled her nose. “The uniform is _ugly_ ,” she said. And she straightened up and looked seriously at her parents. She raised her fork. “When I’m Captain, I’m going to change the uniform.” She stabbed her macaroni for emphasis.

Her father shook his head. “Not so fast, Goldenbird,” he said as she ate. “Only the Fleet Admiral can change the uniform.”

She frowned and shrugged, talking around her food. “Then I’ll be the Fleet Admiral.”

Her mother laughed. “Only if you eat your carrots, _Kathryn.”_

“I think I’ll have to retire before then,” her Daddy said. “You’re going to outrank me.”

Her eyes got big. “ _I can do that?_ ”

He nodded, and squeezed her shoulder again. “Eat your carrots and be nice to your ensigns, and you can be anything you want, Katie.”


End file.
